Isaiah 27
Contemporary English Version
27 (A) On that day, Leviathan,[a]
the sea monster,
will squirm and try to escape,
but the Lord will kill him
with a cruel, sharp sword.
Protection and Forgiveness
The Lord said:
2 At that time you must sing
about a fruitful[b] vineyard.
3 I, the Lord, will protect it
and always keep it watered.
I will guard it day and night
to keep it from harm.
4 I am no longer angry.
But if it produces thorns,
I will go to war against it
and burn it to the ground.
5 Yet if the vineyard depends
on me for protection,
it will become my friend
and be at peace with me.
6 Someday Israel will take root
like a vine.
It will blossom and bear fruit
that covers the earth.
7 I, the Lord, didn't punish and kill
the people of Israel
as fiercely as I punished
and killed their enemies.
8 I carefully measured out
Israel's punishment[c]
and sent the scorching heat
to chase them far away.
9 There's only one way
that Israel's sin and guilt
can be completely forgiven:
They must crush the stones
of every pagan altar
and place of worship.
The Lord Will Bring His People Together
10 Fortress cities are left
like a desert
where no one lives.
Cattle walk through the ruins,
stripping the trees bare.
11 When broken branches
fall to the ground,
women pick them up
to feed the fire.
But these people are so stupid
that the God who created them
will show them no mercy.
12 The time is coming when the Lord will shake the land between the Euphrates River and the border of Egypt, and one by one he will bring all of his people together. 13 A loud trumpet will be heard. Then the people of Israel who were dragged away to Assyria and Egypt will return to worship the Lord on his holy mountain in Jerusalem.
Isaiah 27
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Leviathan Slain
27 On that day the Lord with His harsh, great, and strong sword, will bring judgment on Leviathan,(A) the fleeing serpent—Leviathan, the twisting serpent. He will slay the monster that is in the sea.(B)
The Lord’s Vineyard
2 On that day
sing about a desirable vineyard:(C)
3 I, Yahweh, watch over it;
I water it regularly.
I guard it night and day
so that no one disturbs it.
4 I am not angry,
but if it produces thorns and briers(D) for Me,
I will fight against it, trample it,
and burn it to the ground.
5 Or let it take hold of My strength;
let it make peace with Me—
make peace with Me.
6 In days to come, Jacob will take root.(E)
Israel will blossom and bloom(F)
and fill the whole world with fruit.
7 Did the Lord strike Israel
as He struck the one who struck Israel?(G)
Was he killed like those killed by Him?
8 You disputed with her
by banishing and driving her away.[a]
He removed her with His severe storm
on the day of the east wind.
9 Therefore Jacob’s iniquity(H) will be purged in this way,
and the result of the removal of his sin will be this:(I)
when he makes all the altar stones
like crushed bits of chalk,
no Asherah poles or incense altars will remain standing.
10 For the fortified city will be deserted,
pastures abandoned and forsaken like a wilderness.
Calves will graze there,
and there they will spread out and strip its branches.
11 When its branches dry out, they will be broken off.
Women will come and make fires with them,
for they are not a people with understanding.(J)
Therefore their Maker(K) will not have compassion on them,
and their Creator will not be gracious to them.
12 On that day(L)
the Lord will thresh grain from the Euphrates River
as far as the Wadi of Egypt,(M)
and you Israelites will be gathered one by one.
13 On that day
a great trumpet(N) will be blown,
and those lost in the land of Assyria will come,
as well as those dispersed in the land of Egypt;
and they will worship the Lord
at Jerusalem on the holy mountain.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 27:8 Hb obscure
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