13 Yet the people (A)do not turn back to Him who struck them,
Nor do they (B)seek the Lord of armies.
14 So the Lord cuts off (C)head and tail from Israel,
Both palm branch and bulrush (D)in a single day.
15 The head is (E)the elder and esteemed man,
And the prophet who teaches (F)falsehood is the tail.
16 (G)For those who guide this people are leading them astray;
And those who are guided by them are [a]confused.
17 Therefore the Lord does (H)not rejoice over their young men,
(I)Nor does He have compassion on their [b]orphans or their widows;
For every one of them is (J)godless and an (K)evildoer,
And every (L)mouth is speaking foolishness.
(M)In spite of all this, His anger does not turn away,
And His hand is still stretched out.

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 9:16 Or swallowed up
  2. Isaiah 9:17 Or fatherless

13 For after all this punishment, the people will still not repent.
    They will not seek the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
14 Therefore, in a single day the Lord will destroy both the head and the tail,
    the noble palm branch and the lowly reed.
15 The leaders of Israel are the head,
    and the lying prophets are the tail.
16 For the leaders of the people have misled them.
    They have led them down the path of destruction.
17 That is why the Lord takes no pleasure in the young men
    and shows no mercy even to the widows and orphans.
For they are all wicked hypocrites,
    and they all speak foolishness.
But even then the Lord’s anger will not be satisfied.
    His fist is still poised to strike.

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