Isaiah 20-30
New American Standard Bible
Prophecy about Egypt and Ethiopia
20 In the year that the [a](A)commander came to (B)Ashdod, when Sargon the king of Assyria sent him and he fought against Ashdod and captured it, 2 at that time the Lord spoke through (C)Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, “Go and loosen the (D)sackcloth from your hips and take your (E)sandals off your feet.” And he did so, going (F)naked and barefoot. 3 Then the Lord said, “Even as My servant Isaiah has gone naked and barefoot for three years as a (G)sign and symbol against Egypt and [b](H)Cush, 4 so the (I)king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, (J)young and old, naked and barefoot with buttocks uncovered, to the [c]shame of Egypt. 5 Then they will be (K)terrified and ashamed because of Cush their hope and Egypt their (L)pride. 6 So the inhabitants of this coastland will say on that day, ‘Behold, such is our hope, where we fled (M)for help to be saved from the king of Assyria; and (N)how are we ourselves to escape?’”
God Commands That Babylon Be Taken
21 The (O)pronouncement concerning the [d](P)wilderness of the sea:
As (Q)windstorms in the [e]Negev come in turns,
It comes from the wilderness, from a terrifying land.
2 A (R)harsh vision has been shown to me;
The (S)treacherous one still deals treacherously, and the destroyer still destroys.
Go up, (T)Elam, lay siege, Media;
I have put an end to all [f]the groaning she has caused.
3 For this reason my (U)loins are full of anguish;
Pains have seized me like the pains of a (V)woman in labor.
I am so bewildered I cannot hear, so terrified I cannot see.
4 My [g]mind reels, [h]horror overwhelms me;
The twilight I longed for has been (W)turned into trembling for me.
5 They (X)set the table, they [i]spread out the cloth, they eat, they drink;
“Rise up, captains, oil the shields!”
6 For this is what the Lord says to me:
“Go, station the lookout, have him (Y)report what he sees.
7 When he sees [j]a (Z)column of chariots, horsemen in pairs,
A train of donkeys, a train of camels,
He is to pay close attention, very close attention.”
8 Then [k]the lookout called,
“(AA)Lord, I stand continually by day on the watchtower,
And I am stationed every night at my guard post.
9 Now behold, here comes a troop of riders, horsemen in pairs.”
And one said, “(AB)Fallen, fallen is Babylon;
And all the (AC)images of her gods [l]are shattered on the ground.”
10 My (AD)downtrodden people, and my [m]afflicted of the threshing floor!
What I have heard from the Lord of armies,
The God of Israel, I make known to you.
Pronouncements about Edom and Arabia
11 The pronouncement concerning [n](AE)Edom:
One keeps calling to me from (AF)Seir,
“Watchman, [o]how far gone is the night?
Watchman, [p]how far gone is the night?”
12 The watchman says,
“Morning comes but also night.
If you would inquire, inquire;
Come back again.”
13 The pronouncement about (AG)Arabia:
In the thickets of Arabia you [q]must spend the night,
You caravans of (AH)Dedanites.
14 Bring water [r]for the thirsty,
You inhabitants of the land of (AI)Tema;
Meet the fugitive with bread.
15 For they have (AJ)fled from the swords,
From the drawn sword, and from the bent bow,
And from the press of battle.
16 For this is what the Lord said to me: “In a (AK)year, as [s]a hired worker would count it, all the splendor of (AL)Kedar will come to an end; 17 and the (AM)remainder of the number of bowmen, the warriors of the sons of Kedar, will be few; for the Lord God of Israel (AN)has spoken.”
The Valley of Vision
22 The pronouncement concerning the (AO)valley of vision:
What is the matter with you now, that you have all gone up to the (AP)housetops?
2 You who were full of noise,
You tumultuous town, you (AQ)jubilant city;
Your dead were (AR)not killed with the sword,
Nor [t]did they die in battle.
3 (AS)All your rulers have fled together,
And have been captured [u]without the bow;
All of you who were found were taken captive together,
[v]Though they had fled far away.
4 Therefore I say, “Look away from me,
Let me (AT)weep bitterly,
Do not [w]try to comfort me concerning the destruction of the daughter of my people.”
5 (AU)For the Lord [x]God of armies has a (AV)day of panic, (AW)subjugation, and confusion
(AX)In the valley of vision,
A breaking down of walls
And a crying [y]to the mountain.
6 (AY)Elam picked up the quiver,
With the chariots, [z]infantry, and horsemen;
And (AZ)Kir uncovered the shield.
7 Then your choicest valleys were full of chariots,
And the horsemen took positions at the gate.
8 And He removed the [aa]defense of Judah.
On that day you [ab]depended on the weapons of the (BA)house of the forest,
9 And you saw that the breaches
In the wall of the city of David were many;
And you (BB)collected the waters of the lower pool.
10 Then you counted the houses of Jerusalem
And tore down houses to fortify the wall.
11 And you made a reservoir (BC)between the two walls
For the waters of the (BD)old pool.
But you did not [ac]depend on Him who made it,
Nor did you [ad]take into consideration Him who planned it long ago.
12 Therefore on that day the Lord [ae]God of armies called you to (BE)weeping, to wailing,
To (BF)shaving the head, and to wearing sackcloth.
13 Instead, there is (BG)joy and jubilation,
Killing of cattle and slaughtering of sheep,
Eating of meat and drinking of wine:
“(BH)Let’s eat and drink, for tomorrow we may die.”
14 But the Lord of armies revealed Himself [af]to me:
“Certainly this (BI)wrongdoing (BJ)will not be [ag]forgiven you
(BK)Until you die,” says the Lord [ah]God of armies.
15 This is what the Lord [ai]God of armies says:
“Come, go to this steward,
To (BL)Shebna who is in charge of the royal household,
16 ‘What right do you have here,
And whom do you have here,
That you have (BM)cut out a tomb for yourself here,
You who cut out a tomb on the height,
You who carve a resting place for [aj]yourself in the rock?
17 Behold, the Lord is about to hurl you violently, you strong man.
And He is about to grasp you firmly
18 And wrap you up tightly like a ball,
To be (BN)driven into a vast country;
There you will die,
And there your splendid chariots will be,
You shame of your master’s house!’
19 I will (BO)depose you from your office,
And [ak]I will pull you down from your position.
20 Then it will come about on that day,
That I will summon My servant (BP)Eliakim the son of Hilkiah,
21 And I will clothe him with your tunic
And tie your sash securely around him.
I will hand your [al]authority over to him,
And he will become a (BQ)father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah.
22 Then I will put (BR)the key of the (BS)house of David on his shoulder;
When he opens, no one will shut,
When he shuts, no one will (BT)open.
23 I will drive him like a (BU)peg in a firm place,
And he will become a (BV)throne of glory to his father’s house.
24 So they will hang on him all the glory of his father’s house, the offspring and the [am]descendants, all the least of vessels, from bowls to all the jars. 25 On that day,” declares the Lord of armies, “the (BW)peg driven into a firm place will give way; it will even (BX)break off and fall, and the load that is hanging on it will be cut off, for the (BY)Lord has spoken.”
The Fall of Tyre
23 The pronouncement concerning (BZ)Tyre:
Wail, you (CA)ships of (CB)Tarshish,
For Tyre is destroyed, without house or [an](CC)harbor;
It is reported to them from the land of [ao](CD)Cyprus.
2 (CE)Be silent, you inhabitants of the coastland,
You merchants of Sidon;
[ap]Your messengers crossed the sea
3 And were on many waters.
(CF)The grain of the [aq](CG)Nile, the harvest of the River was her revenue;
And she was the (CH)market of nations.
4 Be ashamed, (CI)Sidon,
For the sea speaks, the stronghold of the sea, saying,
“I have neither been in labor nor given birth,
I have neither brought up young men nor raised virgins.”
5 When the report reaches Egypt,
They will be in (CJ)anguish over the report of Tyre.
6 Pass over to (CK)Tarshish;
Wail, you inhabitants of the coastland.
7 Is this your (CL)jubilant city,
Whose origin is from antiquity,
Whose feet used to bring her to [ar]colonize distant places?
8 Who has planned this against Tyre, (CM)the bestower of crowns,
Whose merchants were princes, whose traders were the honored of the earth?
9 (CN)The Lord of armies has planned it, to (CO)defile the pride of all beauty,
To despise all the (CP)honored of the earth.
10 [as]Overflow your land like the Nile, you daughter of Tarshish,
There is no more [at]restraint.
11 He has (CQ)stretched His hand out (CR)over the sea,
He has (CS)made the kingdoms tremble;
The Lord has given a command concerning Canaan to (CT)demolish its strongholds.
12 He has said, “(CU)You shall not be jubilant anymore, you crushed virgin daughter of Sidon.
Arise, pass over to [au](CV)Cyprus; even there you will find no rest.”
13 Behold, the land of the Chaldeans—this is the people that did not exist; (CW)Assyria allocated it for (CX)desert creatures—they erected their siege towers, they stripped its palaces, (CY)they made it a ruin.
14 Wail, you (CZ)ships of Tarshish,
For your stronghold is destroyed.
15 Now on that day Tyre will be forgotten for (DA)seventy years like the days of one king. At the end of seventy years it will happen to Tyre as in the song of the prostitute:
16 Take your harp, wander around the city,
You forgotten prostitute;
Pluck the strings skillfully, sing many songs,
That you may be remembered.
17 It will come about at (DB)the end of seventy years that the Lord will visit Tyre. Then she will go back to her prostitute’s wages and (DC)commit prostitution with all the kingdoms [av]on the face of the earth. 18 Her (DD)profit and her prostitute’s wages will be (DE)sacred to the Lord; it will not be stored up or hoarded, but her profit will become sufficient food and magnificent attire for those who dwell in the presence of the Lord.
Judgment on the Earth
24 Behold, the Lord (DF)lays the earth waste, devastates it, twists its surface, and scatters its inhabitants. 2 And the people will be like the priest, the servant like his master, the female servant like her mistress, the buyer like the seller, the lender like the borrower, the (DG)creditor like the debtor. 3 The earth will be completely laid waste and completely plundered, for the Lord has spoken this word. 4 The (DH)earth dries up and crumbles away, the mainland dries out and crumbles away, the (DI)exalted of the people of the earth dwindle. 5 The earth is also (DJ)defiled [aw]by its inhabitants, for they violated laws, altered statutes, and (DK)broke the everlasting covenant. 6 Therefore, a (DL)curse devours the earth, and those who live on it suffer for their guilt. Therefore, the (DM)inhabitants of the earth decrease in number, and few people are left.
7 The (DN)new wine mourns,
The vine decays,
All the joyful-hearted sigh.
8 The (DO)joy of tambourines ceases,
The noise of revelers stops,
The joy of the harp ceases.
9 They do not drink wine with song;
(DP)Intoxicating drink is (DQ)bitter to those who drink it.
10 The (DR)city of chaos is broken down;
(DS)Every house is shut up so that no one may enter.
11 There is an (DT)outcry in the streets concerning the wine;
(DU)All joy [ax]turns to gloom.
The joy of the earth is banished.
12 Desolation is left in the city
And the (DV)gate is battered to ruins.
13 For (DW)so it will be in the midst of the earth among the peoples,
As the [ay]shaking of an olive tree,
As the gleanings when the grape harvest is over.
14 (DX)They raise their voices, they shout for joy;
They cry out from the [az]west concerning the majesty of the Lord.
15 Therefore (DY)glorify the Lord in the [ba]east,
The (DZ)name of the Lord, the God of Israel,
In the [bb](EA)coastlands of the sea.
16 From the (EB)ends of the earth we hear songs: “(EC)Glory to the Righteous One,”
But I say, “[bc]I am finished! I am finished! Woe to me!
The (ED)treacherous deal treacherously,
And the treacherous deal very treacherously.”
17 (EE)Terror and pit and snare
[bd]Confront you, you inhabitant of the earth.
18 Then it will be that the one who flees the sound of terror will fall into the pit,
And the one who [be]climbs out of the pit will be caught in the snare;
For the (EF)windows [bf]above are opened, and the (EG)foundations of the earth shake.
19 (EH)The earth is broken apart,
The earth is (EI)split through,
The earth is shaken violently.
20 The earth (EJ)trembles like a heavy drinker
And sways like a hut,
For its (EK)wrongdoing is heavy upon it,
And it will fall, (EL)never to rise again.
21 So it will happen on that day,
That the Lord will (EM)punish the rebellious [bg](EN)angels of [bh]heaven on high,
And the (EO)kings of the earth on earth.
22 They will be gathered together
Like (EP)prisoners in the [bi]dungeon,
And will be confined in prison;
And after many days they will (EQ)be punished.
23 Then the (ER)moon will be ashamed and the sun be put to shame,
For the (ES)Lord of armies will reign on (ET)Mount Zion and in Jerusalem,
And His glory will be before His elders.
Song of Praise for God’s Favor
25 Lord, You are (EU)my God;
I will exalt You, I will give thanks to Your name;
For You have (EV)worked wonders,
(EW)Plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness.
2 For You have turned a city into a (EX)heap,
A (EY)fortified city into a ruin;
A (EZ)palace of strangers is no longer a city,
It will never be rebuilt.
3 Therefore a strong people will (FA)glorify You;
(FB)Cities of ruthless nations will revere You.
4 For You have been a (FC)stronghold for the helpless,
A stronghold for the poor in his distress,
A (FD)refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat;
For the breath of the (FE)ruthless
Is like a rain storm against a wall.
5 Like heat in a dry land, You subdue the (FF)uproar of foreigners;
Like heat by the shadow of a cloud, the song of the ruthless is [bj]silenced.
6 (FG)Now the Lord of armies will prepare a [bk]lavish banquet for (FH)all peoples on this mountain;
A banquet of [bl]aged wine, [bm]choice pieces with marrow,
And [bn]refined, aged wine.
7 And on this mountain He will destroy the [bo](FI)covering which is over all peoples,
The veil which is [bp]stretched over all nations.
8 He will [bq](FJ)swallow up death for all time,
And the Lord [br]God will (FK)wipe tears away from all faces,
And He will remove the (FL)disgrace of His people from all the earth;
For the Lord has spoken.
9 And it will be said on that day,
“Behold, (FM)this is our God for whom we have (FN)waited [bs]that (FO)He might save us.
This is the Lord for whom we have waited;
(FP)Let’s rejoice and be glad in His salvation.”
10 For the hand of the Lord will rest on this mountain,
And (FQ)Moab will be trampled down in his place
As straw is trampled down in the water of a manure pile.
11 And he will (FR)spread out his hands in the middle of it
As a swimmer spreads out his hands to swim,
But the Lord will (FS)lay low his pride together with the trickery of his hands.
12 The (FT)unassailable fortifications of your walls He will bring down,
Lay low, and throw to the ground, to the dust.
Song of Trust in God’s Protection
26 (FU)On that day this song will be sung in the land of Judah:
“We have a (FV)strong city;
He sets up walls and ramparts for [bt](FW)security.
2 Open the (FX)gates, that the (FY)righteous nation may enter,
The one that [bu]remains faithful.
3 The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect (FZ)peace,
Because he trusts in You.
4 (GA)Trust in the Lord forever,
For in [bv]God the Lord, we have an everlasting (GB)Rock.
5 For He has brought low those who dwell on high, the (GC)unassailable city;
(GD)He lays it low, He lays it low to the ground, He casts it to the dust.
6 (GE)The foot will trample it,
The feet of the (GF)poor, the steps of the helpless.”
7 The (GG)way of the righteous is smooth;
O Upright One, (GH)make the path of the righteous level.
8 Indeed, while following the way of (GI)Your judgments, Lord,
We have waited for You eagerly;
(GJ)Your name, and (GK)remembering You, is the desire of our souls.
9 (GL)At night [bw]my soul longs for You,
Indeed, [bx]my spirit within me (GM)seeks You diligently;
For when the earth [by]experiences Your judgments,
The inhabitants of the world (GN)learn righteousness.
10 Though the wicked person is shown compassion,
He does not (GO)learn righteousness;
He (GP)deals unjustly in the land of uprightness,
And does not perceive the majesty of the Lord.
11 Lord, Your hand is lifted up, yet they (GQ)do not see it.
[bz]They see (GR)Your zeal for the people and are put to shame;
Indeed, [ca](GS)fire will devour Your enemies.
12 Lord, You will establish (GT)peace for us,
Since You have also performed for us all our works.
13 Lord, our God, (GU)other masters besides You have ruled us;
But through You alone we [cb](GV)confess Your name.
14 (GW)The dead will not live, the [cc]departed spirits will not rise;
Therefore You have (GX)punished and destroyed them,
And You have eliminated all remembrance of them.
15 (GY)You have increased the nation, Lord,
You have increased the nation, You are glorified;
You have (GZ)extended all the borders of the land.
16 Lord, they sought You (HA)in distress;
They [cd]could only whisper a prayer,
Your discipline was upon them.
17 (HB)As the pregnant woman approaches the time to give birth,
She writhes and cries out in her labor pains;
This is how we were before You, Lord.
18 We were pregnant, we writhed in labor,
We (HC)gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.
We could not accomplish deliverance for the earth,
Nor were (HD)inhabitants of the world [ce]born.
19 Your (HE)dead will live;
[cf]Their corpses will rise.
You who lie in the dust, (HF)awake and shout for joy,
For your dew is as the dew of the [cg]dawn,
And the earth will [ch]give birth to the [ci]departed spirits.
20 Come, my people, (HG)enter your rooms
And close your doors behind you;
Hide for a little [cj](HH)while
Until (HI)indignation [ck]runs its course.
21 For behold, the Lord is about to (HJ)come out from His place
To (HK)punish the inhabitants of the earth for their wrongdoing;
And the earth will (HL)reveal her bloodshed
And will no longer cover her slain.
God’s Blessings for Israel
27 On that day (HM)the Lord will punish [cl](HN)Leviathan the fleeing serpent,
With His fierce and great and mighty sword,
Even [cm]Leviathan the twisted serpent;
And (HO)He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
2 On that day,
“A [cn](HP)vineyard of beauty, sing of it!
3 I, the Lord, am its keeper;
(HQ)I water it every moment.
So that no one will [co]damage it,
I (HR)guard it night and day.
4 I have no wrath.
Should [cp]someone give Me (HS)briars and thorns in battle,
Then I would step on them, (HT)I would burn them [cq]completely.
5 Or let him [cr](HU)rely on My protection,
Let him make peace with Me,
Let him (HV)make peace with Me.”
6 [cs]In the days to come Jacob (HW)will take root,
Israel will (HX)blossom and sprout,
And they will fill the [ct]whole world with (HY)fruit.
7 Like the striking of Him who has struck them, has (HZ)He struck them?
Or like the slaughter of His slain, [cu]have they been slain?
8 You contended with them [cv]by banishing them, by (IA)driving them away.
With His fierce wind He has expelled them on the day of the (IB)east wind.
9 Therefore through this Jacob’s wrongdoing will be (IC)forgiven;
And this will be [cw]the full price of the [cx](ID)pardoning of his sin:
When he makes all the (IE)altar stones like pulverized chalk stones;
When [cy]Asherim and incense altars will not stand.
10 For the fortified city is (IF)isolated,
A [cz]homestead deserted and abandoned like the desert;
(IG)There the calf will graze,
And there it will lie down and [da]feed on its branches.
11 When its (IH)limbs are dry, they are broken off;
Women come and make a fire with them,
For they are not a people of (II)discernment,
Therefore (IJ)their Maker (IK)will not have compassion on them.
And their Creator will not be gracious to them.
12 On that day the Lord (IL)will thresh from the flowing stream of the (IM)Euphrates River to the brook of Egypt, and you will be (IN)gathered up one by one, you sons of Israel. 13 It will come about also on that day that a great (IO)trumpet will be blown, and those who were perishing in the land of (IP)Assyria and who were scattered in the land of Egypt will come and (IQ)worship the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Ephraim’s Captivity Predicted
28 Woe to the proud crown of the (IR)habitually drunk of (IS)Ephraim,
And to the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [db]fertile valley
Of those who are [dc]overcome with wine!
2 Behold, the Lord has a strong and (IT)mighty agent;
As a storm of (IU)hail, a tempest of destruction,
Like a storm of (IV)mighty overflowing waters,
He has thrown it down to the earth with His hand.
3 The splendid crown of the habitually drunk of Ephraim is (IW)trampled underfoot.
4 And the fading flower of its glorious beauty,
Which is at the head of the [dd]fertile valley,
Will be like the (IX)first-ripe fig prior to the summer,
Which [de]one sees,
And [df]as soon as it is in his [dg]hand,
He swallows it.
5 On that day the (IY)Lord of armies will become a beautiful (IZ)crown
And a glorious wreath to the remnant of His people;
6 A (JA)spirit of justice for him who sits in judgment,
A (JB)strength to those who repel the [dh]onslaught at the gate.
7 And these also (JC)reel with wine and stagger from intoxicating drink:
(JD)The priest and (JE)the prophet reel with intoxicating drink,
They are confused by wine, they stagger from (JF)intoxicating drink;
They reel while [di]having (JG)visions,
They stagger when rendering a verdict.
8 For all the tables are full of filthy (JH)vomit, without a single clean place.
9 “To (JI)whom would He teach knowledge,
And to whom would He interpret the message?
Those just (JJ)weaned from milk?
Those just taken from the breast?
10 For He says,
‘[dj](JK)Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there.’”
11 Indeed, He will speak to this people
Through (JL)stammering lips and a foreign tongue,
12 He who said to them, “This is the (JM)place of quiet, give rest to the weary,”
And, “This is the resting place,” but they would not listen.
13 So the word of the Lord to them will be,
“[dk]Order on order, order on order,
Line on line, line on line,
A little here, a little there,”
That they may go and (JN)stumble backward, be broken, snared, and taken captive.
Judah Is Warned
14 Therefore, (JO)hear the word of the Lord, you (JP)scoffers,
Who rule this people who are in Jerusalem,
15 Because you have said, “We have made a (JQ)covenant with death,
And with [dl]Sheol we have made a [dm]pact.
(JR)The [dn]gushing flood will not reach us when it passes by,
Because we have made (JS)falsehood our refuge and we have (JT)concealed ourselves with deception.”
16 Therefore this is what the Lord [do]God says:
“(JU)Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a tested (JV)stone,
A precious cornerstone for the foundation, [dp]firmly placed.
The one who believes in it will not be [dq]disturbed.
17 I will make (JW)justice the measuring line
And righteousness the level;
Then (JX)hail will sweep away the refuge of lies,
And the waters will overflow the secret place.
18 Your (JY)covenant with death will be [dr](JZ)canceled,
And your pact with Sheol will not stand;
When the [ds](KA)gushing flood passes through,
Then you will become its (KB)trampling ground.
19 As (KC)often as it passes through, it will [dt]seize you;
For (KD)morning after morning it will pass through, anytime during the day or night,
And it will be [du]sheer (KE)terror to understand [dv]what it means.”
20 The bed is too short on which to stretch out,
And the (KF)blanket is too [dw]small to wrap oneself in.
21 For the Lord will rise up as at Mount (KG)Perazim,
He will be stirred up as in the Valley of (KH)Gibeon,
To do His (KI)task, His [dx](KJ)unusual task,
And to work His work, His [dy]extraordinary work.
22 And now do not carry on as (KK)scoffers,
Or your shackles will be made stronger;
For I have heard from the Lord [dz]God of armies
Of decisive (KL)destruction on all the earth.
23 Listen and hear my voice,
Pay attention and hear my words.
24 Does the [ea]farmer plow [eb]continually to plant seed?
Does he continually [ec]turn and break up his ground?
25 Does he not level its surface
And sow dill and scatter (KM)cumin
And [ed]plant (KN)wheat in rows,
Barley in its place and rye within its [ee]area?
26 For his God instructs and teaches him properly.
27 For dill is not threshed with a (KO)threshing sledge,
Nor is the cartwheel [ef]driven over cumin;
But dill is beaten out with a rod, and cumin with a club.
28 Grain for bread is crushed,
Indeed, he does not continue to thresh it forever.
Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually [eg]damage it,
He does not thresh it longer.
29 This also comes from the Lord of armies,
Who has made His counsel (KP)wonderful and His wisdom (KQ)great.
Jerusalem Is Warned
29 Woe, [eh]Ariel, [ei]Ariel the city where David once (KR)camped!
Add year to year, [ej](KS)keep your feasts on schedule.
2 I will bring distress to Ariel,
And she will be a city of grieving and (KT)mourning;
And she will be like an [ek]Ariel to me.
3 I will (KU)camp against you [el]encircling you,
And I will set up siegeworks against you,
And I will raise up battle towers against you.
4 Then you will (KV)be brought low;
From the earth you will speak,
And from the dust where you are prostrate
Your words will come.
Your voice will also be like that of a [em]spirit from the ground,
And your speech will whisper from the dust.
5 But the multitude of your [en]enemies will become like fine (KW)dust,
And the multitude of the (KX)ruthless ones like the chaff which [eo]blows away;
And it will happen (KY)instantly, suddenly.
6 From the Lord of armies you will be (KZ)punished with (LA)thunder and earthquake and loud noise,
With whirlwind and tempest and the flame of a consuming fire.
7 And the (LB)multitude of all the nations who wage war against [ep]Ariel,
Even all who wage war against her and her stronghold, and who distress her,
Will be like a dream, a (LC)vision of the night.
8 It will be as when a hungry person dreams—
And behold, he is eating;
But when he awakens, his [eq]hunger is not satisfied,
Or as when a thirsty person dreams—
And behold, he is drinking,
But when he awakens, behold, he is faint
And his [er]thirst is not quenched.
(LD)So will the multitude of all the nations be
Who wage war against Mount Zion.
9 (LE)Be delayed and horrified,
Blind yourselves and be blind;
They (LF)become drunk, but not with wine,
They stagger, but not with intoxicating drink.
10 For the Lord has poured over you a spirit of deep (LG)sleep,
He has (LH)shut your eyes—the prophets;
And He has covered your heads—the seers.
11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed [es](LI)book, which, when they give it to the one who [et]is literate, saying, “Please read this,” he will say, “I cannot, because it is sealed.” 12 Then the [eu]book will be given to the one who [ev]is illiterate, saying, “Please read this.” And he will say, “I [ew]cannot read.”
13 Then the Lord said,
“Because (LJ)this people approaches Me with their [ex]words
And honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me,
And their [ey]reverence for Me [ez]consists of the commandment of men that is taught;
14 Therefore behold, I will once again deal (LK)marvelously with this people, wondrously marvelous;
And (LL)the wisdom of their wise men will perish,
And the understanding of their men who have understanding will be concealed.”
15 Woe to those who deeply (LM)hide their [fa]plans from the Lord,
And whose (LN)deeds are done in a dark place,
And they say, “(LO)Who sees us?” or “Who knows us?”
16 You turn things around!
Shall the potter be considered [fb]as equal with the clay,
That (LP)what is made would say to its maker, “He did not make me”;
Or what is formed say to him who formed it, “He has no understanding”?
Blessing after Discipline
17 Is it not yet just a little while
[fc]Before Lebanon will be turned into a (LQ)fertile field,
And the fertile field will be considered as a forest?
18 On that day those who are (LR)deaf will hear (LS)words of a book,
And out of their gloom and darkness the (LT)eyes of those who are blind will see.
19 The (LU)afflicted also will increase their joy in the Lord,
And the (LV)needy of mankind will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
20 For the (LW)ruthless will come to an end and the (LX)scorner will be finished,
Indeed (LY)all who [fd]are intent on doing evil will be eliminated,
21 Who [fe]cause a person to be indicted by a word,
And (LZ)set a trap for the arbitrator at the gate,
And [ff](MA)defraud the one in the right with [fg]meaningless arguments.
22 Therefore this is what the Lord, who redeemed (MB)Abraham, says concerning the house of Jacob:
“Jacob (MC)will not be ashamed now, nor will his face turn pale now;
23 But when [fh]he sees his (MD)children, the (ME)work of My hands, in his midst,
They will sanctify My name;
Indeed, they will (MF)sanctify the Holy One of Jacob,
And will stand in awe of the God of Israel.
24 Those who (MG)err in [fi]mind will (MH)know [fj]the truth,
And those who [fk]criticize will [fl](MI)accept instruction.
Judah Warned against Egyptian Alliance
30 “Woe to the (MJ)rebellious children,” declares the Lord,
“Who (MK)execute a plan, but not Mine,
And [fm](ML)make an alliance, but not of My Spirit,
In order to add sin to sin;
2 Who (MM)proceed down to Egypt
Without (MN)consulting [fn]Me,
(MO)To take refuge in the safety of Pharaoh,
And to seek shelter in the shadow of Egypt!
3 Therefore the safety of Pharaoh will be (MP)your shame,
And the shelter in the shadow of Egypt, your humiliation.
4 For (MQ)their officials are at Zoan
And their ambassadors arrive at Hanes.
5 Everyone will be (MR)ashamed because of a people who do not benefit them,
Who are (MS)not a help or benefit, but a source of shame and also disgrace.”
6 The pronouncement concerning the (MT)animals of the (MU)Negev:
Through a land of (MV)distress and anguish,
From [fo]where come lioness and lion, viper and (MW)flying serpent,
They (MX)carry their riches on the [fp]backs of young donkeys,
And their treasures on (MY)camels’ humps,
To a people who will not benefit them;
7 Even Egypt, whose (MZ)help is vain and empty.
Therefore, I have called [fq]her
“[fr](NA)Rahab who has been exterminated.”
8 Now go, (NB)write it on a tablet in their presence
And inscribe it on a scroll,
That it may [fs]serve in the time to come
[ft]As a witness forever.
9 For this is a (NC)rebellious people, (ND)false sons,
Sons who [fu]refuse to (NE)listen
To the [fv]instruction of the Lord;
10 Who say to the (NF)seers, “You must not see visions”;
And to the prophets, “You must not (NG)prophesy the truth to us.
(NH)Speak to us [fw]pleasant words,
Prophesy illusions.
11 Get out of the way, (NI)turn aside from the path,
(NJ)Stop speaking before us about the Holy One of Israel!”
12 Therefore this is what the Holy One of Israel says:
“(NK)Since you have rejected this word
And have put your trust in (NL)oppression and crookedness, and have relied on them,
13 Therefore this (NM)wrongdoing will be to you
Like a (NN)breach about to fall,
A bulge in a high wall,
Whose collapse comes (NO)suddenly in an instant,
14 Whose collapse is like the smashing of a (NP)potter’s jar,
[fx]So ruthlessly shattered
That a shard will not be found among its pieces
To [fy]take fire from a hearth
Or to scoop water from a cistern.”
15 For this is what the Lord [fz]God, the Holy One of Israel, has said:
“In [ga]repentance and (NQ)rest you will be saved,
In (NR)quietness and trust is your strength.”
But you were not willing,
16 And you said, “No, for we will flee on (NS)horses!”
Therefore you shall flee!
“And we will ride on swift horses!”
Therefore those who pursue you shall be swift.
17 (NT)One thousand will flee at the threat of one man;
You will flee at the threat of five,
Until you are left like a signal post on a mountain top,
And like a flag on a hill.
God Is Gracious and Just
18 Therefore the Lord [gb](NU)longs to be gracious to you,
And therefore He [gc]waits on (NV)high to have compassion on you.
For the Lord is a (NW)God of justice;
How blessed are all those who [gd](NX)long for Him.
19 [ge]For, you people in Zion, (NY)inhabitant in Jerusalem, you will (NZ)weep no longer. He will certainly be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will (OA)answer you. 20 Although the Lord has given you (OB)bread of deprivation and water of oppression, He, your Teacher, will no longer (OC)hide Himself, but your eyes will see your Teacher. 21 Your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the (OD)way, walk in it,” whenever you (OE)turn to the right or to the left. 22 And you will desecrate your carved (OF)images plated with silver, and your cast metal (OG)images plated with gold. You will scatter them as a filthy thing, and say to [gf]them, “(OH)Be gone!”
23 Then He will (OI)give you rain for your seed which you will sow in the ground, and bread from the yield of the ground, and it will be [gg]rich and [gh]plentiful; on that day (OJ)your livestock will graze in a wide pasture. 24 Also the oxen and the donkeys that work the ground will eat [gi]seasoned feed, which [gj]has been (OK)winnowed with shovel and pitchfork. 25 And on every lofty mountain and (OL)every high hill there will be [gk]streams running with water on the day of the great (OM)slaughter, when the towers fall. 26 (ON)And the light of the full moon will be like the light of the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter, like the light of seven days, on the day (OO)the Lord binds up the (OP)fracture of His people and (OQ)heals the wound [gl]He has inflicted.
27 Behold, (OR)the name of the Lord comes from a [gm]remote place;
(OS)His anger is burning and [gn]dense with [go]smoke;
His lips are filled with (OT)indignation,
And His tongue is like a (OU)consuming fire;
28 His (OV)breath is like an overflowing river,
Which (OW)reaches to the neck,
To (OX)shake the nations back and forth in a [gp]sieve,
And to put in the jaws of the peoples (OY)the bridle which leads astray.
29 You will have [gq]songs as in the night when you keep the festival,
And gladness of heart as when one marches to the sound of the flute,
To go to the mountain of the Lord, to the Rock of Israel.
30 And the Lord will cause [gr]His voice of authority to be heard,
And the [gs]descending of His arm to be seen in fierce anger,
And in the flame of a consuming fire
In cloudburst, downpour, and hailstones.
31 For (OZ)at the voice of the Lord (PA)Assyria will be terrified,
When He strikes with the (PB)rod.
32 And every [gt]blow of the [gu](PC)rod of punishment,
Which the Lord will lay on him,
Will be with the music of (PD)tambourines and lyres;
And in battles, (PE)brandishing weapons, He will fight them.
33 For [gv](PF)Topheth has long been ready,
Indeed, it has been prepared for the king.
He has made it deep and large,
[gw]A pyre of fire with plenty of wood;
The (PG)breath of the Lord, like a torrent of (PH)brimstone, sets it afire.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 20:1 Heb Tartan
- Isaiah 20:3 Or Ethiopia, as in vv 4, 5
- Isaiah 20:4 Lit nakedness
- Isaiah 21:1 Or sandy wastes, sea country
- Isaiah 21:1 I.e., South country
- Isaiah 21:2 Lit her groaning
- Isaiah 21:4 Lit heart has wandered
- Isaiah 21:4 Lit shuddering
- Isaiah 21:5 Or spread out the rugs or possibly they arranged the seating
- Isaiah 21:7 Or riders
- Isaiah 21:8 As in DSS; MT he called like a lion
- Isaiah 21:9 Lit he has shattered to the earth
- Isaiah 21:10 Lit son
- Isaiah 21:11 As in LXX; MT Dumah, silence
- Isaiah 21:11 Lit what is the time of the night?
- Isaiah 21:11 Lit what is the time of the night?
- Isaiah 21:13 Or will spend
- Isaiah 21:14 Lit to meet
- Isaiah 21:16 Lit the years of a hired
- Isaiah 22:2 Lit dead in battle
- Isaiah 22:3 Lit from a bow
- Isaiah 22:3 As in ancient versions; MT They fled far away
- Isaiah 22:4 Lit insist
- Isaiah 22:5 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:5 Or against
- Isaiah 22:6 Lit man
- Isaiah 22:8 Lit covering
- Isaiah 22:8 Lit looked to
- Isaiah 22:11 Or look to, consider
- Isaiah 22:11 Lit see Him
- Isaiah 22:12 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:14 Lit in my ears
- Isaiah 22:14 Lit atoned for
- Isaiah 22:14 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 22:16 Lit himself
- Isaiah 22:19 As in many ancient versions; MT He
- Isaiah 22:21 Lit dominion
- Isaiah 22:24 Or perhaps, leaf
- Isaiah 23:1 Lit entering
- Isaiah 23:1 Heb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:2 As in DSS; MT Who passed over the sea, they replenished you
- Isaiah 23:3 Heb Shihor
- Isaiah 23:7 Lit sojourn afar off
- Isaiah 23:10 Lit Pass over
- Isaiah 23:10 Perhaps girdle or shipyard
- Isaiah 23:12 Heb Kittim
- Isaiah 23:17 Lit of the earth on the face of the land
- Isaiah 24:5 Lit under
- Isaiah 24:11 Lit is darkened
- Isaiah 24:13 Lit striking
- Isaiah 24:14 Lit sea
- Isaiah 24:15 Lit region of light
- Isaiah 24:15 Or islands
- Isaiah 24:16 Meaning uncertain
- Isaiah 24:17 Lit Are upon you
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit goes up from the midst of
- Isaiah 24:18 Lit from the height; i.e., heaven
- Isaiah 24:21 Lit host
- Isaiah 24:21 Lit the height in the height
- Isaiah 24:22 Lit pit
- Isaiah 25:5 Lit humbled
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit feast of fat things; i.e., abundance
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit wine on the lees
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit fat pieces
- Isaiah 25:6 Lit wine refined on the lees
- Isaiah 25:7 Lit face of the covering
- Isaiah 25:7 Lit woven
- Isaiah 25:8 I.e., destroy
- Isaiah 25:8 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 25:9 Or and He saved us
- Isaiah 26:1 Or salvation
- Isaiah 26:2 Lit keeps faithfulness
- Isaiah 26:4 Heb Yah, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my soul I long
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit with my spirit...I seek
- Isaiah 26:9 Lit has
- Isaiah 26:11 Or Let them see...and be
- Isaiah 26:11 Or let the fire for Your adversaries devour them
- Isaiah 26:13 Or make Your name known
- Isaiah 26:14 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:16 Lit sound forth a whisper
- Isaiah 26:18 Lit fallen
- Isaiah 26:19 As in some ancient versions; MT My
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit lights
- Isaiah 26:19 Lit cause to fall
- Isaiah 26:19 Or shades
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit moment
- Isaiah 26:20 Lit passes over
- Isaiah 27:1 Or sea monster
- Isaiah 27:1 Or sea monster
- Isaiah 27:2 Some mss a vineyard of wine
- Isaiah 27:3 Lit punish
- Isaiah 27:4 Lit who
- Isaiah 27:4 Lit altogether
- Isaiah 27:5 Lit take hold of
- Isaiah 27:6 Lit Those coming
- Isaiah 27:6 Lit face of the world
- Isaiah 27:7 Lit he was slain
- Isaiah 27:8 Some ancient versions by exact measure
- Isaiah 27:9 Lit all the fruit
- Isaiah 27:9 Lit removing
- Isaiah 27:9 I.e., wooden symbols of a female deity (Asherah)
- Isaiah 27:10 Lit pasture
- Isaiah 27:10 Lit consume
- Isaiah 28:1 Lit valley of fatness
- Isaiah 28:1 Lit stricken
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit valley of fatness
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit the one seeing sees
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit while it is yet
- Isaiah 28:4 Lit palm
- Isaiah 28:6 Lit battle
- Isaiah 28:7 Lit seeing
- Isaiah 28:10 Heb Sav lasav, sav lasav, Kav lakav, kav lakav, Zeer sham, zeer sham. These Hebrew fragments, imitating the babbling of a child, mock the prophet’s preaching.
- Isaiah 28:13 See note v 10. The Lord responds to their scoffing by imitating their mockery, to represent the unintelligible language of a conqueror.
- Isaiah 28:15 I.e., the netherworld
- Isaiah 28:15 As in some ancient versions; MT seer
- Isaiah 28:15 Or overwhelming scourge
- Isaiah 28:16 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 28:16 Lit well-laid
- Isaiah 28:16 Lit in a hurry
- Isaiah 28:18 Lit covered over
- Isaiah 28:18 Or overwhelming scourge
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit take
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit only
- Isaiah 28:19 Lit the report; or the message
- Isaiah 28:20 Lit narrow
- Isaiah 28:21 Lit task is strange
- Isaiah 28:21 Lit work is foreign
- Isaiah 28:22 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit plowman
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit all day
- Isaiah 28:24 Lit open
- Isaiah 28:25 Lit put
- Isaiah 28:25 Lit region
- Isaiah 28:27 Lit rolled
- Isaiah 28:28 Lit discomfit
- Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
- Isaiah 29:1 I.e., Lion of God, or Jerusalem
- Isaiah 29:1 Lit let your feasts run their round
- Isaiah 29:2 Ariel (i.e., Jerusalem) is a Heb word for “altar hearth” where offerings were burned
- Isaiah 29:3 Lit like a circle
- Isaiah 29:4 Or ghost
- Isaiah 29:5 Lit strangers
- Isaiah 29:5 Lit passes away
- Isaiah 29:7 See note 1 v 1
- Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
- Isaiah 29:8 Lit soul
- Isaiah 29:11 Or scroll
- Isaiah 29:11 Lit knows books
- Isaiah 29:12 Or scroll
- Isaiah 29:12 Lit does not know books
- Isaiah 29:12 Lit do not know books
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit mouth
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit fear of Me
- Isaiah 29:13 Lit is
- Isaiah 29:15 Lit counsel
- Isaiah 29:16 Lit like
- Isaiah 29:17 Lit And
- Isaiah 29:20 Lit watch evil
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit bring a person under condemnation
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit turn aside
- Isaiah 29:21 Lit confusion
- Isaiah 29:23 Or his children see
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit spirit
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit understanding
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit murmur
- Isaiah 29:24 Lit learn
- Isaiah 30:1 Lit pour out a drink offering
- Isaiah 30:2 Lit My mouth
- Isaiah 30:6 Lit them
- Isaiah 30:6 Lit shoulders
- Isaiah 30:7 Lit this one
- Isaiah 30:7 MT They are Rahab or arrogance, to remain; i.e., Egypt, as a sea monster; see note Job 26:12
- Isaiah 30:8 Lit be
- Isaiah 30:8 As in most ancient versions; MT Forever and ever
- Isaiah 30:9 Lit are not willing
- Isaiah 30:9 Or Law
- Isaiah 30:10 Lit smooth things
- Isaiah 30:14 Lit Crushed, it will not be spared
- Isaiah 30:14 Lit snatch up
- Isaiah 30:15 Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord
- Isaiah 30:15 Lit returning
- Isaiah 30:18 Lit waits
- Isaiah 30:18 Lit is on high
- Isaiah 30:18 Lit wait
- Isaiah 30:19 MT For a people will inhabit Zion, Jerusalem
- Isaiah 30:22 Lit it “Go out”
- Isaiah 30:23 Lit fatness
- Isaiah 30:23 Lit fat
- Isaiah 30:24 Lit sorrel-seasoned
- Isaiah 30:24 Lit one winnows
- Isaiah 30:25 Lit canals, streams of water
- Isaiah 30:26 Lit of His blow
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit distance
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit heaviness
- Isaiah 30:27 Lit uplifting
- Isaiah 30:28 Lit sifting of the worthless
- Isaiah 30:29 Lit the song
- Isaiah 30:30 Lit the majesty of His voice
- Isaiah 30:30 Lit descent
- Isaiah 30:32 Lit passing
- Isaiah 30:32 Lit staff of foundation
- Isaiah 30:33 I.e., the place of human sacrifice to Molech
- Isaiah 30:33 Lit Its pile
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Bible Gateway Recommends
