2 Kings 17
New King James Version
Hoshea Reigns in Israel
17 In the twelfth year of Ahaz king of Judah, (A)Hoshea the son of Elah became king of Israel in Samaria, and he reigned nine years. 2 And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, but not as the kings of Israel who were before him. 3 (B)Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against him; and Hoshea (C)became his vassal, and paid him tribute money. 4 And the king of Assyria uncovered a conspiracy by Hoshea; for he had sent messengers to So, king of Egypt, and brought no tribute to the king of Assyria, as he had done year by year. Therefore the king of Assyria shut him up, and bound him in prison.
Israel Carried Captive to Assyria(D)
5 Now (E)the king of Assyria went throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria and besieged it for three years. 6 (F)In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and (G)carried Israel away to Assyria, (H)and placed them in Halah and by the Habor, the River of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
7 For (I)so it was that the children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God, who had brought them up out of the land of Egypt, from under the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and they had (J)feared other gods, 8 and (K)had walked in the statutes of the nations whom the Lord had cast out from before the children of Israel, and of the kings of Israel, which they had made. 9 Also the children of Israel secretly did against the Lord their God things that were not right, and they built for themselves [a]high places in all their cities, (L)from watchtower to fortified city. 10 (M)They set up for themselves sacred pillars and (N)wooden images[b] (O)on every high hill and under every green tree. 11 There they burned incense on all the high places, like the nations whom the Lord had carried away before them; and they did wicked things to provoke the Lord to anger, 12 for they served idols, (P)of which the Lord had said to them, (Q)“You shall not do this thing.”
13 Yet the Lord testified against Israel and against Judah, by all of His (R)prophets, (S)every seer, saying, (T)“Turn from your evil ways, and keep My commandments and My statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by My servants the prophets.” 14 Nevertheless they would not hear, but (U)stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who (V)did not believe in the Lord their God. 15 And they (W)rejected His statutes (X)and His covenant that He had made with their fathers, and His testimonies which He had testified against them; they followed (Y)idols, (Z)became idolaters, and went after the nations who were all around them, concerning whom the Lord had charged them that they should (AA)not do like them. 16 So they left all the commandments of the Lord their God, (AB)made for themselves a molded image and two calves, (AC)made a wooden image and worshiped all the (AD)host of heaven, (AE)and served Baal. 17 (AF)And they caused their sons and daughters to pass through the fire, (AG)practiced witchcraft and soothsaying, and (AH)sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the Lord, to provoke Him to anger. 18 Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them from His sight; there was none left (AI)but the tribe of Judah alone.
19 Also (AJ)Judah did not keep the commandments of the Lord their God, but walked in the statutes of Israel which they made. 20 And the Lord rejected all the descendants of Israel, afflicted them, and (AK)delivered them into the hand of plunderers, until He had cast them from His (AL)sight. 21 For (AM)He tore Israel from the house of David, and (AN)they made Jeroboam the son of Nebat king. Then Jeroboam drove Israel from following the Lord, and made them commit a great sin. 22 For the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them, 23 until the Lord removed Israel out of His sight, (AO)as He had said by all His servants the prophets. (AP)So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria, as it is to this day.
Assyria Resettles Samaria
24 (AQ)Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, (AR)Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel; and they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities. 25 And it was so, at the beginning of their dwelling there, that they did not fear the Lord; therefore the Lord sent lions among them, which killed some of them. 26 So they spoke to the king of Assyria, saying, “The nations whom you have removed and placed in the cities of Samaria do not know the rituals of the God of the land; therefore He has sent lions among them, and indeed, they are killing them because they do not know the rituals of the God of the land.” 27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, “Send there one of the priests whom you brought from there; let him go and dwell there, and let him teach them the rituals of the God of the land.” 28 Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the Lord.
29 However every nation continued to make gods of its own, and put them (AS)in the shrines on the high places which the Samaritans had made, every nation in the cities where they dwelt. 30 The men of (AT)Babylon made Succoth Benoth, the men of Cuth made Nergal, the men of Hamath made Ashima, 31 (AU)and the Avites made Nibhaz and Tartak; and the Sepharvites (AV)burned their children in fire to Adrammelech and Anammelech, the gods of Sepharvaim. 32 So they feared the Lord, (AW)and from every class they appointed for themselves priests of the [c]high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 33 (AX)They feared the Lord, yet served their own gods—according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
34 To this day they continue practicing the former rituals; they do not fear the Lord, nor do they follow their statutes or their ordinances, or the law and commandment which the Lord had commanded the children of Jacob, (AY)whom He named Israel, 35 with whom the Lord had made a covenant and charged them, saying: (AZ)“You shall not fear other gods, nor (BA)bow down to them nor serve them nor sacrifice to them; 36 but the Lord, who (BB)brought you up from the land of Egypt with great power and (BC)an outstretched arm, (BD)Him you shall fear, Him you shall worship, and to Him you shall offer sacrifice. 37 And the statutes, the ordinances, the law, and the commandment which He wrote for you, (BE)you shall be careful to observe forever; you shall not fear other gods. 38 And the covenant that I have made with you, (BF)you shall not forget, nor shall you fear other gods. 39 But the Lord your God you shall fear; and He will deliver you from the hand of all your enemies.” 40 However they did not obey, but they followed their former rituals. 41 (BG)So these nations feared the Lord, yet served their carved images; also their children and their children’s children have continued doing as their fathers did, even to this day.
Footnotes
- 2 Kings 17:9 Places for pagan worship
- 2 Kings 17:10 Heb. Asherim, Canaanite deities
- 2 Kings 17:32 Places for pagan worship
Isaiah 1-9
New King James Version
Judah Called to Repentance
1 The (A)vision of Isaiah the son of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem in the (B)days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.
The Wickedness of Judah
2 (C)Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth!
For the Lord has spoken:
“I have nourished and brought up children,
And they have rebelled against Me;
3 (D)The ox knows its owner
And the donkey its master’s [a]crib;
But Israel (E)does not know,
My people do not [b]consider.”
4 Alas, sinful nation,
A people [c]laden with iniquity,
(F)A [d]brood of evildoers,
Children who are corrupters!
They have forsaken the Lord,
They have provoked to anger
The Holy One of Israel,
They have turned away backward.
5 (G)Why should you be stricken again?
You will revolt more and more.
The whole head is sick,
And the whole heart faints.
6 From the sole of the foot even to the head,
There is no soundness in it,
But wounds and bruises and putrefying sores;
They have not been closed or bound up,
Or soothed with ointment.
7 (H)Your country is desolate,
Your cities are burned with fire;
Strangers devour your land in your presence;
And it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.
8 So the daughter of Zion is left (I)as a [e]booth in a vineyard,
As a hut in a garden of cucumbers,
(J)As a besieged city.
9 (K)Unless the Lord of hosts
Had left to us a very small remnant,
We would have become like (L)Sodom,
We would have been made like Gomorrah.
10 Hear the word of the Lord,
You rulers (M)of Sodom;
Give ear to the law of our God,
You people of Gomorrah:
11 “To what purpose is the multitude of your (N)sacrifices to Me?”
Says the Lord.
“I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams
And the fat of fed cattle.
I do not delight in the blood of bulls,
Or of lambs or goats.
12 “When you come (O)to appear before Me,
Who has required this from your hand,
To trample My courts?
13 Bring no more (P)futile[f] sacrifices;
Incense is an abomination to Me.
The New Moons, the Sabbaths, and (Q)the calling of assemblies—
I cannot endure iniquity and the sacred meeting.
14 Your (R)New Moons and your (S)appointed feasts
My soul hates;
They are a trouble to Me,
I am weary of bearing them.
15 (T)When you [g]spread out your hands,
I will hide My eyes from you;
(U)Even though you make many prayers,
I will not hear.
Your hands are full of [h]blood.
16 “Wash(V) yourselves, make yourselves clean;
Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
(W)Cease to do evil,
17 Learn to do good;
Seek justice,
Rebuke [i]the oppressor;
[j]Defend the fatherless,
Plead for the widow.
18 “Come now, and let us (X)reason together,”
Says the Lord,
“Though your sins are like scarlet,
(Y)They shall be as white as snow;
Though they are red like crimson,
They shall be as wool.
19 If you are willing and obedient,
You shall eat the good of the land;
20 But if you refuse and rebel,
You shall be devoured by the sword”;
(Z)For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.
The Degenerate City
21 (AA)How the faithful city has become a [k]harlot!
It was full of justice;
Righteousness lodged in it,
But now (AB)murderers.
22 (AC)Your silver has become dross,
Your wine mixed with water.
23 (AD)Your princes are rebellious,
And (AE)companions of thieves;
(AF)Everyone loves bribes,
And follows after rewards.
They (AG)do not defend the fatherless,
Nor does the cause of the widow come before them.
24 Therefore the Lord says,
The Lord of hosts, the Mighty One of Israel,
“Ah, (AH)I will [l]rid Myself of My adversaries,
And [m]take vengeance on My enemies.
25 I will turn My hand against you,
And (AI)thoroughly[n] purge away your dross,
And take away all your alloy.
26 I will restore your judges (AJ)as at the first,
And your counselors as at the beginning.
Afterward (AK)you shall be called the city of righteousness, the faithful city.”
27 Zion shall be redeemed with justice,
And her [o]penitents with righteousness.
28 The (AL)destruction of transgressors and of sinners shall be together,
And those who forsake the Lord shall be consumed.
29 For [p]they shall be ashamed of the [q]terebinth trees
Which you have desired;
And you shall be embarrassed because of the gardens
Which you have chosen.
30 For you shall be as a terebinth whose leaf fades,
And as a garden that has no water.
31 (AM)The strong shall be as tinder,
And the work of it as a spark;
Both will burn together,
And no one shall (AN)quench them.
The Future House of God(AO)
2 The word that Isaiah the son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.
2 Now (AP)it shall come to pass (AQ)in the latter days
(AR)That the mountain of the Lord’s house
Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills;
And all nations shall flow to it.
3 Many people shall come and say,
(AS)“Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,
To the house of the God of Jacob;
He will teach us His ways,
And we shall walk in His paths.”
(AT)For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
And the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations,
And rebuke many people;
They shall beat their swords into plowshares,
And their spears into pruning [r]hooks;
Nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
Neither shall they learn war anymore.
The Day of the Lord
5 O house of Jacob, come and let us (AU)walk
In the light of the Lord.
6 For You have forsaken Your people, the house of Jacob,
Because they are filled (AV)with eastern ways;
They are (AW)soothsayers like the Philistines,
(AX)And they [s]are pleased with the children of foreigners.
7 (AY)Their land is also full of silver and gold,
And there is no end to their treasures;
Their land is also full of horses,
And there is no end to their chariots.
8 (AZ)Their land is also full of idols;
They worship the work of their own hands,
That which their own fingers have made.
9 People bow down,
And each man humbles himself;
Therefore do not forgive them.
10 (BA)Enter into the rock, and hide in the dust,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty.
11 The [t]lofty looks of man shall be (BB)humbled,
The haughtiness of men shall be bowed down,
And the Lord alone shall be exalted (BC)in that day.
12 For the day of the Lord of hosts
Shall come upon everything proud and lofty,
Upon everything lifted up—
And it shall be brought low—
13 Upon all (BD)the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up,
And upon all the oaks of Bashan;
14 (BE)Upon all the high mountains,
And upon all the hills that are lifted up;
15 Upon every high tower,
And upon every fortified wall;
16 (BF)Upon all the ships of Tarshish,
And upon all the beautiful sloops.
17 The [u]loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
And the haughtiness of men shall be brought low;
The Lord alone will be exalted in that day,
18 But the idols [v]He shall utterly abolish.
19 They shall go into the (BG)holes of the rocks,
And into the caves of the [w]earth,
(BH)From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises (BI)to shake the earth mightily.
20 In that day a man will cast away his idols of silver
And his idols of gold,
Which they made, each for himself to worship,
To the moles and bats,
21 To go into the clefts of the rocks,
And into the crags of the rugged rocks,
From the terror of the Lord
And the glory of His majesty,
When He arises to shake the earth mightily.
22 (BJ)Sever[x] yourselves from such a man,
Whose (BK)breath is in his nostrils;
For [y]of what account is he?
Judgment on Judah and Jerusalem
3 For behold, the Lord, the Lord of hosts,
(BL)Takes away from Jerusalem and from Judah
(BM)The[z] stock and the store,
The whole supply of bread and the whole supply of water;
2 (BN)The mighty man and the man of war,
The judge and the prophet,
And the diviner and the elder;
3 The captain of fifty and the [aa]honorable man,
The counselor and the skillful artisan,
And the expert enchanter.
4 “I will give (BO)children[ab] to be their princes,
And [ac]babes shall rule over them.
5 The people will be oppressed,
Every one by another and every one by his neighbor;
The child will be insolent toward the [ad]elder,
And the [ae]base toward the honorable.”
6 When a man takes hold of his brother
In the house of his father, saying,
“You have clothing;
You be our ruler,
And let these ruins be under your [af]power,”
7 In that day he will protest, saying,
“I cannot cure your ills,
For in my house is neither food nor clothing;
Do not make me a ruler of the people.”
8 For (BP)Jerusalem stumbled,
And Judah is fallen,
Because their tongue and their doings
Are against the Lord,
To provoke the eyes of His glory.
9 The look on their countenance witnesses against them,
And they declare their sin as (BQ)Sodom;
They do not hide it.
Woe to their soul!
For they have brought evil upon themselves.
10 “Say to the righteous (BR)that it shall be well with them,
(BS)For they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
11 Woe to the wicked! (BT)It shall be ill with him,
For the reward of his hands shall be [ag]given him.
12 As for My people, children are their oppressors,
And women rule over them.
O My people! (BU)Those who lead you [ah]cause you to err,
And destroy the way of your paths.”
Oppression and Luxury Condemned
13 The Lord stands up (BV)to [ai]plead,
And stands to judge the people.
14 The Lord will enter into judgment
With the elders of His people
And His princes:
“For you have [aj]eaten up (BW)the vineyard;
The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 What do you mean by (BX)crushing My people
And grinding the faces of the poor?”
Says the Lord God of hosts.
16 Moreover the Lord says:
“Because the daughters of Zion are haughty,
And walk with [ak]outstretched necks
And [al]wanton eyes,
Walking and [am]mincing as they go,
Making a jingling with their feet,
17 Therefore the Lord will strike with (BY)a scab
The crown of the head of the daughters of Zion,
And the Lord will (BZ)uncover their secret parts.”
18 In that day the Lord will take away the finery:
The jingling anklets, the [an]scarves, and the (CA)crescents;
19 The pendants, the bracelets, and the veils;
20 The headdresses, the leg ornaments, and the headbands;
The perfume boxes, the charms,
21 and the rings;
The nose jewels,
22 the festal apparel, and the mantles;
The outer garments, the purses,
23 and the mirrors;
The fine linen, the turbans, and the robes.
24 And so it shall be:
Instead of a sweet smell there will be a stench;
Instead of a sash, a rope;
Instead of well-set hair, (CB)baldness;
Instead of a rich robe, a girding of sackcloth;
And [ao]branding instead of beauty.
25 Your men shall fall by the sword,
And your [ap]mighty in the war.
Jerusalem’s Glorious Future
4 And (CE)in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying,
“We will (CF)eat our own food and wear our own apparel;
Only let us be called by your name,
To take away (CG)our reproach.”
The Renewal of Zion
2 In that day (CH)the Branch of the Lord shall be beautiful and glorious;
And the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and appealing
For those of Israel who have escaped.
3 And it shall come to pass that he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem (CI)will be called holy—everyone who is (CJ)recorded among the living in Jerusalem. 4 When (CK)the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and purged the [aq]blood of Jerusalem from her midst, by the spirit of judgment and by the spirit of burning, 5 then the Lord will create above every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and above her assemblies, (CL)a cloud and smoke by day and (CM)the shining of a flaming fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a [ar]covering. 6 And there will be a tabernacle for shade in the daytime from the heat, (CN)for a place of refuge, and for a shelter from storm and rain.
God’s Disappointing Vineyard
5 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved (CO)regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
[as]On a very fruitful hill.
2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also [at]made a winepress in it;
(CP)So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.
3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
(CQ)Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
4 What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in (CR)it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
(CS)I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
6 I will lay it (CT)waste;
It shall not be pruned or [au]dug,
But there shall come up briers and (CU)thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”
7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, [av]a cry for help.
Impending Judgment on Excesses
8 Woe to those who [aw]join (CV)house to house;
They add field to field,
Till there is no place
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land!
9 (CW)In my hearing the Lord of hosts said,
“Truly, many houses shall be desolate,
Great and beautiful ones, without inhabitant.
10 For ten acres of vineyard shall yield one (CX)bath,[ax]
And a homer of seed shall yield one [ay]ephah.”
11 (CY)Woe to those who rise early in the morning,
That they may [az]follow intoxicating drink;
Who continue until night, till wine inflames them!
12 (CZ)The harp and the strings,
The tambourine and flute,
And wine are in their feasts;
But (DA)they do not regard the work of the Lord,
Nor consider the operation of His hands.
13 (DB)Therefore my people have gone into captivity,
Because they have no (DC)knowledge;
Their honorable men are famished,
And their multitude dried up with thirst.
14 Therefore Sheol has enlarged itself
And opened its mouth beyond measure;
Their glory and their multitude and their pomp,
And he who is jubilant, shall descend into it.
15 People shall be brought down,
(DD)Each man shall be humbled,
And the eyes of the lofty shall be humbled.
16 But the Lord of hosts shall be (DE)exalted in judgment,
And God who is holy shall be hallowed in righteousness.
17 Then the lambs shall feed in their pasture,
And in the waste places of (DF)the [ba]fat ones strangers shall eat.
18 Woe to those who [bb]draw iniquity with cords of [bc]vanity,
And sin as if with a cart rope;
19 (DG)That say, “Let Him make speed and hasten His work,
That we may see it;
And let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come,
That we may know it.”
20 Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil;
Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness;
Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!
21 Woe to those who are (DH)wise in their own eyes,
And prudent in their own sight!
22 Woe to men mighty at drinking wine,
Woe to men valiant for mixing intoxicating drink,
23 Who (DI)justify the wicked for a bribe,
And take away justice from the righteous man!
24 Therefore, (DJ)as the [bd]fire devours the stubble,
And the flame consumes the chaff,
So (DK)their root will be as rottenness,
And their blossom will ascend like dust;
Because they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts,
And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
25 (DL)Therefore the anger of the Lord is aroused against His people;
He has stretched out His hand against them
And stricken them,
And (DM)the hills trembled.
Their carcasses were as refuse in the midst of the streets.
(DN)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
26 (DO)He will lift up a banner to the nations from afar,
And will (DP)whistle to them from (DQ)the end of the earth;
Surely (DR)they shall come with speed, swiftly.
27 No one will be weary or stumble among them,
No one will slumber or sleep;
Nor (DS)will the belt on their loins be loosed,
Nor the strap of their sandals be broken;
28 (DT)Whose arrows are sharp,
And all their bows bent;
Their horses’ hooves will [be]seem like flint,
And their wheels like a whirlwind.
29 Their roaring will be like a lion,
They will roar like young lions;
Yes, they will roar
And lay hold of the prey;
They will carry it away safely,
And no one will deliver.
30 In that day they will roar against them
Like the roaring of the sea.
And if one (DU)looks to the land,
Behold, darkness and [bf]sorrow;
And the light is darkened by the clouds.
Isaiah Called to Be a Prophet(DV)
6 In the year that (DW)King Uzziah died, I (DX)saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, (DY)with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said:
“Woe is me, for I am [bg]undone!
Because I am a man of (EB)unclean lips,
And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.”
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from (EC)the altar. 7 And he (ED)touched my mouth with it, and said:
“Behold, this has touched your lips;
Your iniquity is taken away,
And your sin [bh]purged.”
8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying:
“Whom shall I send,
And who will go for (EE)Us?”
Then I said, “Here am I! Send me.”
9 And He said, “Go, and (EF)tell this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do not perceive.’
10 “Make (EG)the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
(EH)Lest they see with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And return and be healed.”
11 Then I said, “Lord, how long?”
And He answered:
(EI)“Until the cities are laid waste and without inhabitant,
The houses are without a man,
The land is utterly desolate,
12 (EJ)The Lord has removed men far away,
And the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 But yet a tenth will be in it,
And will return and be for consuming,
As a terebinth tree or as an oak,
Whose stump remains when it is cut down.
So (EK)the holy seed shall be its stump.”
Isaiah Sent to King Ahaz(EL)
7 Now it came to pass in the days of (EM)Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king of Judah, that Rezin king of Syria and Pekah the son of Remaliah, king of Israel, went up to Jerusalem to make war against (EN)it, but could not [bi]prevail against it. 2 And it was told to the house of David, saying, “Syria’s forces are [bj]deployed in Ephraim.” So his heart and the heart of his people were moved as the trees of the woods are moved with the wind.
3 Then the Lord said to Isaiah, “Go out now to meet Ahaz, you and [bk]Shear-Jashub your son, at the end of the aqueduct from the upper pool, on the highway to the Fuller’s Field, 4 and say to him: [bl]‘Take heed, and [bm]be (EO)quiet; do not fear or be fainthearted for these two stubs of smoking firebrands, for the fierce anger of Rezin and Syria, and the son of Remaliah. 5 Because Syria, Ephraim, and the son of Remaliah have plotted evil against you, saying, 6 “Let us go up against Judah and [bn]trouble it, and let us make a gap in its wall for ourselves, and set a king over them, the son of Tabel”— 7 thus says the Lord God:
(EP)“It shall not stand,
Nor shall it come to pass.
8 (EQ)For the head of Syria is Damascus,
And the head of Damascus is Rezin.
Within sixty-five years Ephraim will be [bo]broken,
So that it will not be a people.
9 The head of Ephraim is Samaria,
And the head of Samaria is Remaliah’s son.
(ER)If you will not believe,
Surely you shall not be established.” ’ ”
The Immanuel Prophecy
10 Moreover the Lord spoke again to Ahaz, saying, 11 (ES)“Ask a sign for yourself from the Lord your God; [bp]ask it either in the depth or in the height above.”
12 But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I test the Lord!”
13 Then he said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will you weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: (ET)Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear (EU)a Son, and shall call His name (EV)Immanuel.[bq] 15 Curds and honey He shall eat, that He may know to refuse the evil and choose the good. 16 (EW)For before the Child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that you dread will be forsaken by (EX)both her kings. 17 (EY)The Lord will bring the king of Assyria upon you and your people and your father’s house—days that have not come since the day that (EZ)Ephraim departed from Judah.”
18 And it shall come to pass in that day
That the Lord (FA)will whistle for the fly
That is in the farthest part of the rivers of Egypt,
And for the bee that is in the land of Assyria.
19 They will come, and all of them will rest
In the desolate valleys and in (FB)the clefts of the rocks,
And on all thorns and in all pastures.
20 In the same day the Lord will shave with a (FC)hired (FD)razor,
With those from beyond [br]the River, with the king of Assyria,
The head and the hair of the legs,
And will also remove the beard.
21 It shall be in that day
That a man will keep alive a young cow and two sheep;
22 So it shall be, from the abundance of milk they give,
That he will eat curds;
For curds and honey everyone will eat who is left in the land.
23 It shall happen in that day,
That wherever there could be a thousand vines
Worth a thousand shekels of silver,
(FE)It will be for briers and thorns.
24 With arrows and bows men will come there,
Because all the land will become briers and thorns.
25 And to any hill which could be dug with the hoe,
You will not go there for fear of briers and thorns;
But it will become a range for oxen
And a place for sheep to roam.
Assyria Will Invade the Land
8 Moreover the Lord said to me, “Take a large scroll, and (FF)write on it with a man’s pen concerning [bs]Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz. 2 And I will take for Myself faithful witnesses to record, (FG)Uriah the priest and Zechariah the son of Jeberechiah.”
3 Then I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son. Then the Lord said to me, “Call his name Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz; 4 (FH)for before the child [bt]shall have knowledge to cry ‘My father’ and ‘My mother,’ (FI)the riches of Damascus and the [bu]spoil of Samaria will be taken away before the king of Assyria.”
5 The Lord also spoke to me again, saying:
6 “Inasmuch as these people refused
The waters of (FJ)Shiloah that flow softly,
And rejoice (FK)in Rezin and in Remaliah’s son;
7 Now therefore, behold, the Lord brings up over them
The waters of [bv]the River, strong and mighty—
The king of Assyria and all his glory;
He will [bw]go up over all his channels
And go over all his banks.
8 He will pass through Judah,
He will overflow and pass over,
(FL)He will reach up to the neck;
And the stretching out of his wings
Will [bx]fill the breadth of Your land, O (FM)Immanuel.[by]
9 “Be(FN) shattered, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces!
Give ear, all you from far countries.
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces;
Gird yourselves, but be broken in pieces.
10 (FO)Take counsel together, but it will come to nothing;
Speak the word, (FP)but it will not stand,
(FQ)For [bz]God is with us.”
Fear God, Heed His Word
11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with [ca]a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:
12 “Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their [cb]threats, nor be [cc]troubled.
13 The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.
14 (FR)He will be as a [cd]sanctuary,
But (FS)a stone of stumbling and a rock of [ce]offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
15 And many among them shall (FT)stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and [cf]taken.”
16 Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.
17 And I will wait on the Lord,
Who (FU)hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I (FV)will hope in Him.
18 (FW)Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We (FX)are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.
19 And when they say to you, (FY)“Seek those who are mediums and wizards, (FZ)who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they (GA)seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 (GB)To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because (GC)there[cg] is no light in them.
21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and (GD)curse [ch]their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.
The Government of the Promised Son(GE)
9 Nevertheless (GF)the gloom will not be upon her who is distressed,
As when at (GG)first He lightly esteemed
The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
And (GH)afterward more heavily oppressed her,
By the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan,
In Galilee of the Gentiles.
2 (GI)The people who walked in darkness
Have seen a great light;
Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death,
Upon them a light has shined.
3 You have multiplied the nation
And [ci]increased its joy;
They rejoice before You
According to the joy of harvest,
As men rejoice (GJ)when they divide the spoil.
4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden
And the staff of his shoulder,
The rod of his oppressor,
As in the day of (GK)Midian.
5 For every warrior’s [cj]sandal from the noisy battle,
And garments rolled in blood,
(GL)Will be used for burning and fuel [ck]of fire.
6 (GM)For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a (GN)Son is given;
And (GO)the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called
(GP)Wonderful, Counselor, (GQ)Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, (GR)Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of His government and peace
(GS)There will be no end,
Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
To order it and establish it with judgment and justice
From that time forward, even forever.
The (GT)zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.
The Punishment of Samaria
8 The Lord sent a word against (GU)Jacob,
And it has fallen on Israel.
9 All the people will know—
Ephraim and the inhabitant of Samaria—
Who say in pride and arrogance of heart:
10 “The bricks have fallen down,
But we will rebuild with hewn stones;
The sycamores are cut down,
But we will replace them with cedars.”
11 Therefore the Lord shall set up
The adversaries of Rezin against him,
And spur his enemies on,
12 The Syrians before and the Philistines behind;
And they shall devour Israel with an open mouth.
For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is [cl]stretched out still.
13 For the people do not turn to Him who strikes them,
Nor do they seek the Lord of hosts.
14 Therefore the Lord will cut off head and tail from Israel,
Palm branch and bulrush (GV)in one day.
15 The elder and honorable, he is the head;
The prophet who teaches lies, he is the tail.
16 For (GW)the leaders of this people cause them to err,
And those who are led by them are destroyed.
17 Therefore the Lord (GX)will have no joy in their young men,
Nor have mercy on their fatherless and widows;
For everyone is a hypocrite and an evildoer,
And every mouth speaks [cm]folly.
(GY)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
18 For wickedness (GZ)burns as the fire;
It shall devour the briers and thorns,
And kindle in the thickets of the forest;
They shall mount up like rising smoke.
19 Through the wrath of the Lord of hosts
(HA)The land is burned up,
And the people shall be as fuel for the fire;
(HB)No man shall spare his brother.
20 And he shall [cn]snatch on the right hand
And be hungry;
He shall devour on the left hand
(HC)And not be satisfied;
(HD)Every man shall eat the flesh of his own arm.
21 Manasseh shall devour Ephraim, and Ephraim Manasseh;
Together they shall be (HE)against Judah.
(HF)For all this His anger is not turned away,
But His hand is stretched out still.
Footnotes
- Isaiah 1:3 manger or feed trough
- Isaiah 1:3 understand
- Isaiah 1:4 Lit. heavy, weighed down
- Isaiah 1:4 offspring, seed
- Isaiah 1:8 shelter
- Isaiah 1:13 worthless
- Isaiah 1:15 Pray
- Isaiah 1:15 bloodshed
- Isaiah 1:17 Some ancient vss. the oppressed
- Isaiah 1:17 Vindicate
- Isaiah 1:21 Unfaithful
- Isaiah 1:24 be relieved of
- Isaiah 1:24 avenge Myself
- Isaiah 1:25 refine with lye
- Isaiah 1:27 Lit. returners
- Isaiah 1:29 So with MT, LXX, Vg.; some Heb. mss., Tg. you
- Isaiah 1:29 Sites of pagan worship
- Isaiah 2:4 knives
- Isaiah 2:6 Or clap, shake hands to make bargains with the children
- Isaiah 2:11 proud
- Isaiah 2:17 pride
- Isaiah 2:18 Or shall utterly vanish
- Isaiah 2:19 Lit. dust
- Isaiah 2:22 Lit. Cease yourselves from the man
- Isaiah 2:22 Lit. in what is he to be esteemed
- Isaiah 3:1 Every support
- Isaiah 3:3 Eminent looking men
- Isaiah 3:4 boys
- Isaiah 3:4 Or capricious ones
- Isaiah 3:5 aged
- Isaiah 3:5 despised, lightly esteemed
- Isaiah 3:6 Lit. hand
- Isaiah 3:11 done to him
- Isaiah 3:12 lead you astray
- Isaiah 3:13 contend, plead His case
- Isaiah 3:14 burned
- Isaiah 3:16 Head held high
- Isaiah 3:16 seductive, ogling
- Isaiah 3:16 tripping or skipping
- Isaiah 3:18 headbands
- Isaiah 3:24 burning scar
- Isaiah 3:25 Lit. strength
- Isaiah 4:4 bloodshed
- Isaiah 4:5 canopy
- Isaiah 5:1 Lit. In a horn, the son of fatness
- Isaiah 5:2 Lit. hewed out
- Isaiah 5:6 hoed
- Isaiah 5:7 wailing
- Isaiah 5:8 Accumulate houses
- Isaiah 5:10 1 bath=1⁄10 homer
- Isaiah 5:10 1 ephah=1⁄10 homer
- Isaiah 5:11 pursue
- Isaiah 5:17 Lit. fatlings, rich ones
- Isaiah 5:18 drag
- Isaiah 5:18 emptiness or falsehood
- Isaiah 5:24 Lit. tongue of fire
- Isaiah 5:28 Lit. be regarded as
- Isaiah 5:30 distress
- Isaiah 6:5 destroyed, cut off
- Isaiah 6:7 atoned for
- Isaiah 7:1 conquer it
- Isaiah 7:2 Lit. settled upon
- Isaiah 7:3 Lit. A Remnant Shall Return
- Isaiah 7:4 Be careful
- Isaiah 7:4 be calm
- Isaiah 7:6 cause a sickening dread
- Isaiah 7:8 Lit. shattered
- Isaiah 7:11 Lit. make the request deep or make it high above
- Isaiah 7:14 Lit. God-With-Us
- Isaiah 7:20 The Euphrates
- Isaiah 8:1 Lit. Speed the Spoil, Hasten the Booty
- Isaiah 8:4 knows how
- Isaiah 8:4 plunder
- Isaiah 8:7 The Euphrates
- Isaiah 8:7 Overflow
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit. be the fullness of
- Isaiah 8:8 Lit. God-With-Us
- Isaiah 8:10 Heb. Immanuel
- Isaiah 8:11 Mighty power
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit. fear or terror
- Isaiah 8:12 Lit. in dread
- Isaiah 8:14 holy abode
- Isaiah 8:14 stumbling over
- Isaiah 8:15 captured
- Isaiah 8:20 Or they have no dawn
- Isaiah 8:21 Or by their king and by their God
- Isaiah 9:3 So with Qr., Tg.; Kt., Vg. not increased joy; LXX Most of the people You brought down in Your joy
- Isaiah 9:5 boot
- Isaiah 9:5 for the fire
- Isaiah 9:12 In judgment
- Isaiah 9:17 foolishness
- Isaiah 9:20 slice off or tear
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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